The invention relates to pharmaceutical preparations which are suitable for treating or curing viral infections, including influenza and immunodeficiency diseases such as retrovirus infections, including AIDS and AIDS-related diseases, and which can also be used to inhibit fusion of virus-infected cells with non-infected cells, which preparations contain modified proteins or polypeptides as active substance or substance contributing to the action or as carrier for other substances, which are also active.
The use of glycoproteins as cell-specific carriers for 3'-azido-3'-desoxythymidine (AZT) is disclosed in the publication by Molema, G., Jansen, R. W. Pauwels, R., De Clerg, E., and Meijer, D. K. F. in Biochem. Pharmacol. part 40, No. 12, pp. 2603-2610 (1990). To date AZT is the only registered agent for the treatment of AIDS. AZT blocks the synthesis of viral DNA in the infected cells. Although AIDS is not cured, the agent prolongs life expectancy. Unfortunately, AZT also attacks healthy cells and therefore gives rise to a large number of undesirable side effects. These side effects arise in particular in tissues where a large amount of DNA is produced, for example in bone marrow. According to the abovementioned publication, it is proposed to direct AZT to target cells with the aid of a carrier molecule. According to the abovementioned publication, conjugates of albumin (HSA) and sugars, for example mannose, fucose, galactose and glucose, are prepared and tested for their anti-HIV activity in combination with AZTMP (AZT phosphorylated to the monophosphate form). It is presumed that the carrier molecule releases the active substance once the conjugate of glycoprotein and active substance has been absorbed by the target cell.
The use of sulphated phenyl polymers in preparations for the treatment of retrovirus infections is disclosed in Netherlands Patent Application 8900442. Sulphated phenyl polymers mentioned in this publication are sulphated polyphenyl alcohols, sulphated copolymers of (meth)acrylic acid and phenyl alcohol and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. These active substances reduce the cytopathogenicity of HIV-1 in MT-4 cells and the antigen expression of HIV-1 in CEM cells. They are also active against the replication of HIV-2. In addition, the formation of giant cells (multinuclear syncytium cells), generated by HIV-1, and the adsorption of HIV fragments on CD-4 positive cells are inhibited.